Halloween Illustration Complete

Hooray.....It's finally complete!!

On a serious note.....there's lots of things that go bump in the night, but for all your little ones trick or treating tonight, be sure to be safe. Its going windy and rainy....which makes for horrible candy collecting,

Have fun, all you little ghost and ghouls!!

Til the next adventure...
Freddy K.

Freddy Krueger Artwork....Inked And Color and A Nursery Rhyme?

Still working on the special Halloween image to present tomorrow for all to see!! To be completely honest, its gunna come down to finish line to get everything I envision on digital paper. You all will just have to wait and see.

My little nursery rhyme

One, Two... Freddy's Drawing for you
Three, Four....Hope you're not bored
Five, Six..... Please enjoys these pics
Seven, Eight......Sorry for posting so late
Nine, Ten....Its too late to begin again!

Keep Drawing true believers!!
Freddy K.  

Freddy Krueger Pencil Sketch....More Monsters To Come

Since Halloween is just around the corner, it was brought to my attention that I have not done any spooky illustrations at all this month. So without further ado, I present a quick cartoon Freddy Krueger photoshop sketch. 

Don't worry there will be more to this illustration in the next couple of days. I intend on adding other characters like Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers.....maybe even Chucky! My goal is to have all the monsters of film drawn up, with Happy Halloween at the bottom of the page. If all goes well, I will be presenting the finished illustration Halloween morning.....cross your fingers!

Til next time,

Happy Drawing!

Freddy K  ( Not Freddy Krueger either...LOL! ) 

Zombie Art....A Break From The Digital World Of Drawing

From time to time, as an artist you just gotta grab the trusty paper and pencil ( in this case also a pen ) and let the creativity flow.  Every digital artist gets tired of staring at their monitor, and I do mean all! So today as a treat I thought I would post a sketch I did today just to get away from the, use guessed  it...the monitor.

The drawing began with a quick, pencil gesture drawing of the zombies body stance. ( The exact pencil I used was a 4-H made by the company Royal & Langnickel...Great pencils!! ) Once I had the creatures position set, I grabbed my Prismacolor chisel point marker. I used just the chisel point for the entire drawing as I can get great variation of line thickness from just that marker.

I inked the face first, and worked down the body adding texture as I went. The background at this point wasn't even considered yet. After finishing the zombie, I thought well....just keep going!! So I started to add the background. By turning the chisel marker a certain direction (  to the thin side ) I began making small slashes to add the look of the ground.

Next, the sketch pencil box was used like a ruler to make a line straight up. ( gotta use whatcha got ) I then made and almost mirror image line on the right side of the paper, but didn't take it all the way down as I roughed in a trash can. Then just like the ground, I turned the chisel marker and made more slashes of various sizes to make the sides look like buildings.

Lastly, I used my coffee cup to make the roundness of the moon ( still using what I got! ) and added more slash marks to create the cloud look next to it.

Easier said then done, right! Well you gotta keep practicing it doesn't just happen overnight.

Til next time!
Keep drawing my friends ( in the Dos equis guy voice )
Freddy K.

The Blacklist....Raymond Reddington & Dembe T-shirt Design

Besides the Walking Dead on AMC....another one of my favorite shows on the ol' boob tube is the Blacklist. What a character Raymond Reddington is, he's a king among killers, and a killer of kings! I have not seen another well played character on a television show since Horatio Cane on CSI Miami. 

The illustration above is parody that I created, base off a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon that cartoonist Bill Watterson created. It depicts Reddington and Dembe leaving the woods after dumping a body ( hence) the blood in the water. I created this image to become a t-shirt design to be put on the website TeePublic. So it look for it tomorrow!

Til next time,

Happy Drawing!

Freddy K.  

Walking Dead Bob Quick Sketch.....Tainted Meat

Yes it's Sunday, which means The Walking Dead comes on. Well, this episode did not disappoint thanks to the character Bob. When Bob reveals that he has been bitten, while the cannibal group has been chewing on his leg and then he screams " TAINTED MEAT " I almost had a heart attack!

Above is a quick character sketch of that moment ( of course he wasn't standing on the show ).... but, admit it, you wish he would have. The goal for the drawing was to get the concept that was in my head onto digital paper in under 5 minutes. This means sketch, color, and simple background. I timed myself and it took me an 6 minutes and 13 seconds....not too shabby!!

Til next time

Happy Drawing!!

Freddy K.  

Income Inequality Explained By My Little Pony Parody

                                                          Created by: Adam McKay

Do you want to know how income is established for each job in the USA? Then look no farther than the video above. This cute My Little Pony Parody (made funny with alpacas) was created by Adam McKay for the group We The Economy.

The six-minute video, which is voiced by Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, and Sarah Silverman, (the alpacas) learn that nothing is ever as it seems. Upon graduation from school, and taking a visit to the lollipop factory to receive their job assignments. The alpacas discover that the world isn't like the cuddly opening theme song they sing about of social mobility, fancy cars, and jewels!

Instead, the alpacas learn that government regulations, and quality of education seem to be the driving force of economy, more than people with loyalty and a hard work ethic.

As a bonus....
I also found on the interweb, images of the storyboard process, and even a shot of the alpacas in their animation program!







Happy Drawing!

Fred

Adding Textures To Your Photoshop Images

                                                           artwork by: Dave Habben


Hey everybody,

While searching the good ol' interweb, I came across an interesting tutorial on adding textures to your photoshop images. In this particular tutorial created by Dave Habben, he gives us a sneak peek on how he uses textures in his own illustrations by using common items like artist paper ( scanned in ) old pillow cases, and even a neck tie! 

If you're looking to bring your artwork to the next level, then this a must read! Dave gives great insight and step by step instruction in this tutorial. Also Don't forget to check out Dave's page (click his name above )

Here's the link to the tutorial....
http://community.wacom.com/en/inspiration/blog/2014/october/how-to-color-with-texture-using-photoshop/?utm_campaign=FY31-8100-20-Illustration-Tutorial-Entry&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=Color_with_Texture_Using_Photoshop

Albino Deer Bagged By 11 Year Old In Michigan Stirs Up Controversy

Here ya go... more pros and cons for you about hunting in the good ol' US of A. One side of the group says what the boy did is perfectly legal! The other side screams foul, as the deer just happens to be extremely rare. ( I heard that only 1 in 100, 000 are ever born ). Is it a rare species, or just a deer? Who knows...what's your opinion? I would love to hear it!!

In my opinion, the child did nothing wrong.....Kudos to you, and nice shootin' kid. Still others will see it differently. With that said, I couldn't help but poke a little fun at the whole situation, so enjoy the cartoon above. 

Here are some more links about the story...

  http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/outposts/post/rare-albino-deer-bagged-11-year-old/

https://www.facebook.com/wzzm13/photos/a.72277719567.70335.21982024567/10152780916014568/?type=1&theater

UGEE The Tablet Of Professionals

The new tablet arrived today......Hooray!!

Here it is, the UGEE M708 Professional  drawing tablet.

Here are some aspects of the tablet:

A large 10" x 6" drawing area
5080 LPI ( LINES PER INCH )
230 RPS Rate ( response rate )
2048 levels of pressure sensitivity.
8 express keys that can be customize to any command

Tomorrow I plan on doing an unboxing video, installing it, and then a video of myself drawing something with it!

Happy Drawing!!
Fred

The Walking Dead - New Artwork - 2 hours to Season 5 Episode 2

 Hey Everybody...Its Sunday night and we all know what time it is, its the Walking Dead time!

In celebration, I have created this one of a kind sketch of Rick Grimes fighting a zombie. It is framed in an etched glass frame and available on Ebay. click the picture for all the details and more pictures.

Ebola Cartoon Gag "Colored"

I forgot to post this yesterday...the finished product! In early posts I talked about how I take the image into Adobe Illustrator and ink it. Most of my designs, I color them in illustrator as well, but this time I took in into Adobe Photoshop and finished it off.

Til next time,

Happy Drawing!!
Fred

Ebola Cartoon Gag "INKED"

The next step in the process is the inking of the pencil sketch. I typically copy and paste my sketch into Adobe Illustrator, set up the brush tool to my custom settings, and ink away! A sketch like this takes me about 20 minutes to ink. ( just in case you were wondering ).

I will be posting the color version shorty!

So check back often...

Ebola Cartoon Gag Sketch

Yesterday I posted a pic of a cartoon gag that I am currently working on. Here is the rest of the pencil sketch as promised. The cartoon is about the Ebola virus that our government is not taking so seriously. 

In the cartoon, the nurse is getting her plane ticket while being dressed in her virus protective gear. She's also droopy eyed, shaky, and has ooze dripping of her. The man behind the desk appears happy to see her, and seems to be oblivious to her condition!

I'll be posting the inked drawing a little later.

So stay tooned!!

Preview Of My Next Cartoon Gag

Here's a sneak peek at a gag cartoon that I am working on currently. This is just a pencil sketch of half of the gag for you viewing pleasure. ( I do have the other half, but I thought I would keep you in suspense )  In my next couple of blog posts, I will do a walk through on how I take a rough sketch ( like above ) and turn into a full cartoon / illustration. So check back soon.... like tomorrow!

Happy Drawing!
Fred 

Check Out The Power Of The Doodle

 I was reading some interesting stories today about other cartoonist, and their work habits, when I happened upon this lovely site. Watch how these children's book illustrators make magic happen right before your eyes!!

http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2014/oct/11/childrens-illustrators-doodles-watch-them-in-action

Cartoons Based Off Of Hit Movies

With the recent demise of Saturday morning cartoons still on my mind. Here is a look into something that most people ( and cartoonist ) have probably forgot about. There have been lots of cartoons over the years that were created, just based upon the hit movie it was modeled after. Perfect example, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (above)

In my opinion, It looks like Hollyweird has had the perfect formula for making money for a long time. Create a product, if it sells, then cram as much of it down the consumers throats until they choke every last penny, nickel, and dime out of it.....sounds harsh, I know, but when you really think about it, it's the truth!

Cartoons were created to be a source of entertainment, along with bringing laughter to the world. In today's fast pace, rat race, cartoons have taken a step back from the loveable characters most grew up with, and have become more of a "Big Business" monster than anything else. Don't get me wrong, money runs this world, but seriously... can today's animators put a little more feeling into their characters!

If you're curious about the other cartoons based off of hit movies, the link below has a short list.
and is a great read!
  
http://www.cinemablend.com/television/10-Great-Cartoons-Based-Hit-Movies-67817.html

Til next time,

Happy Drawing!
Fred

Half Full Or Half Empty....That Is The Question

I've been super busy today, but didn't want to leave the blog empty. I found this cartoon gag that I created for a potential client a while back. At the time, it was between myself and this other designer to get the job. It was for about 100 or so, three panel gag/cartoons about sports. 

The client, which I believe was from Brazil seemed like he might be favoring a soccer themed cartoon. So that is what I submitted to him. I surely thought the comic ( above ) would win me the job!! Needless to say, it didn't. 

Looking back on it now, I'm fairly certain I didn't get the job because ( A ) I refer to it as soccer instead of football. ( B ) I think the other designers cartoon was a little more polished than the 10 minute quickie I created.

Well, lesson learned! At least not all was lost, I still made a nice little portfolio piece....and hey, I'm sharing with you now, so enjoy!

Happy drawing!
Fred    

Mnemonic Cartoon Art

A while back I did a series of mnemonic cartoons for a vocabulary app. Click the picture to check out SAT Vocab Hackers by bullbat 

Here are variations of the logo for the client. Which one do you like best? Leave a comment and let me know that your out there would ya!!

The Walking Dead - Sketch Cards - 24 hours to Season 5!

It's almost time for Season 5 of The Walking Dead! 

Are you ready?

Click the photo to check out my eBay listing for this mounted set of 9 artist sketch cards, created by yours truly!

Each hand drawn sketch card is signed and loaded into a protective sleeve which is mounted to an original art print, also designed by me! All fit snugly into an 11x17 inch glass-front frame.

Features Daryl Dixon, Glenn Rhee, Tyreese, Maggie Greene, Rick Grimes, Carol Peletier, Michonne, Carl Grimes, and Sasha!

Who will survive tomorrow's Season Premier?

New York Comic Con

Read all the juicy info here ( New York Comic Con ) which starts tomorrow October 9th. One of the main focus of this years event is the best way to self publish. It's a must read article!

Zombie + Icons = Zombicons, Get Yours Created Today

Click the flyer to order yours today!

The Walking Dead...It's Confirmed, A Sixth Season

The start of a new season of AMC's The Walking Dead is just around the corner, but true fans will be delighted to know that yesterday, it was announced a sixth season will happen. As if you were really worried, right! The show has such a strong following, there was no way a sixth season could happen. 

The way I see it, if any of the actors aren't happy with their contracts, its real easy to kill them off....can you say " ZOMBIE BAIT " I thought you could. Hey if you want to read more about the 6th season check it out here.  Walking Dead Season Six

Photo from: Schmoesknow.com

Saturday Morning Cartoons....We Will Miss You!!

 Picture from fitfordragoncon.com

Just read an article on the good ol' interweb which stated that Saturday morning cartoons have run there last episodes. What a shame! Millions of people remember waking up early ( myself included ) just to watch there favorite cartoons......and now, there gone! 

You can read more about this here...Saturday mornings no more

Family Style Caricature Portraits Now Available!

Its that time of year again when people start looking for that perfect holiday gift.
Don't waste your time trying to find something unique in a retail store. Get your loved ones a thoughtful gift that they just can't find anywhere else!! A custom Family Style Caricature Portrait drawn by yours truly! We offer four sizes, and offer shipping to anywhere in the US! It's easy, just visit the link by clicking on the picture above, choose the size that suits your needs, email me some pics and I'll do the rest!

Free greeting card size digital image with your order when you mention this blog!

Don't skip the building blocks it leads to better drawings!!

Tradition drawing with pencil and paper is certainly harder than its counterpart of a Wacom tablet and the control 'z' function. In this day and age it is true that people are able to produce digital art at a much faster pace, but one should not underestimate the power of learning the traditional style of drawing and painting. In the long run it gives the artist a chance to think through the drawing and allows the brain to process what it is actually drawing, and draw it correctly. Thus in you the building blocks to a great foundation in the digital art world. 

Check out my steps for creating the character above for my new blog header. Its easy to see how drawing the image with simple pencil shapes ( build blocks ) helps to build a stronger character when it comes to inking it! 

Also watch this video that is on YouTube made by: Draw with Jazza ( he sums it up perfectly )

Mr. McDoo printed copies are going fast!!

Because printed copies of Mr. McDoo Visits the Zoo are flying off our shelves,  I figured today is a great day to blog about the logo I created for our branch off company Koceba Books!

Currently, we are working on a 27 page children's picture book for a client, and have the second installment of Mr. McDoo already written! Things are on roll, so stay tooned!!

The Walking Dead - Rick Grimes Quick Sketch!!

Woke up this morning and decided to start my day off with a quick sketch of AMC's The Walking Dead character Rick Grimes. Also known as ( his real name ) Andrew Lincoln. The sketch only took about 15 minutes, but my mind is now ready to put in some work! 

The new season starts off in 8 days, and I can't wait much longer! Those guys have been trapped in that container a very long time, don't you think?

Busy, Busy, said the Illustrator!!

I'm right in the middle of 4 projects currently, so I missed blogging yesterday.....Sorry, I won't let it happen again. The first project I'm working on is a 27 page children's book. The other three are custom caricatures that people have requested. I will be posting the caricature work in the upcoming days, but you're out of luck on the book until its finished. I have to have permission from the writer to show it off, so you'll just have to wait!

When I feel that I'm getting bored of the current project I'm working on, I usually take a small timeout and draw something fun. This helps me stay motivated and keeps my work, feelin' well you know, fun! Today I drew up this Izzadore model sheet.... took me about 20 minutes, but it was just the break I needed.